


Pomp and Circumstance

by pllsetskyonice (hma1313)



Series: Otayuri Week 2017 [6]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: 2018 Winter Olympics, First Kiss, Future Fic, M/M, OtaYuri Week 2017, pair skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 22:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9927230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hma1313/pseuds/pllsetskyonice
Summary: The first time they skate together, it's a joke.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Otayuri Week Day 6: Pair Skating or ~~Rivalry~~
> 
> Title taken from [Pomp and Circumstance by Edward Elgar](https://open.spotify.com/track/5nsYZFNyMefd50yamWgMfy).
> 
> This can be [read on tumblr](http://pllsetskyonice.tumblr.com/post/157709349009/pomp-and-circumstance) if you prefer.

The first time they pair skate, it’s a joke.

Yuri’s grumbling about how Victor and Katsudon stole the show with Yuuri’s exhibition piece even though he won the gold, muttering about he bets he could do a better job than they did at pair skating; when Otabek suggest that they could skate together if Yuri wants.

“You’d do that?” Yuri asks, looking slightly sceptical. “Do lifts and all that shit?”

“Yeah,” Otabek says. “Why not?”

Yuri grins and takes Otabek’s hand, leading him out onto the ice, laughing as Otabek spins him around and even does a couple of basic lifts. Mila yells encouragement at them from the side lines and Yakov looks mildly horrified.

So the first time they skate together, it’s a joke.

* * *

It continues to be an ongoing joke until Victor casually points out over lunch one day the Yuri’s practicing with Otabek is slowly eating away at his solo practice time. Yuri realises with a jolt that he’s barely put any thought into next season’s routines, his mind more focused on how to make the routine he’s putting together with Otabek work more than anything else.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yuri snaps, slamming his fork down on the table. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Oh? Don’t I? If you were allowed to compete with Otabek inside of doing singles, would you?”

“Yes,” Yuri says without a moment’s hesitation. Victor raises an eyebrow. “Shit.”

“Quite,” Victor says. Somehow, it doesn’t feel like a joke any more.

* * *

It’s a Tuesday when Victor pushes his iPad across the dinner table in Yuri’s direction. It’s open on a webpage about a sporting event in Paris in 2018, the Gay Games. Anyone can compete and one of the sports listed is figure skating.

“What the hell is this?” Yuri asks.

“An opportunity,” Victor replies. “I hope that one day the ISU allows same sex pairs to compete rather than being rigidly heteronormative about the whole thing, but until then, this is next best thing. It’s during August, so it won’t clash with any other events. And it’ll be a bit of fun after the Olympics. Something to look forward to. What do you think?”

“I mean, I’ll have to ask Otabek, but…” Yuri scrolls through the figure skating page a bit more; “I think I’d like to do it.”

“Wonderful!” Victor grins. “I do expect you to win, by the way. I mean, all things being equal by then, you’ll probably both be Olympic medallists. So I’m expecting nothing less than gold.”

“Of course you fucking are,” Yuri mutters as he glares at the screen, but there’s a smile on his face.

* * *

Otabek agrees to skate with Yuri in Paris, and before they know where they are, the 2016-17 season fades into the 2017-18 one, the 2017 Grand Prix Final is over with Otabek taking gold and Yuri silver, the Olympics are weeks away and they’ve still got to finalise their pair skate for the Games in summer. It’s on the back burner for now, though, as they both throw themselves into training for winning at the most prestigious event in the figure skating calendar. Nationals pass in a blur, and then they’re on the plane to Pyeongchang, Yuri determined to win gold.

He messes up in his Short Programme, his jumps not having enough rotations and feeling his hand go down onto the ice on at least one occasion. He curses at himself, because this is the Olympics and there’s no room for error, no space for mistakes: now is the worst possible time to mess up. Otabek’s Short Programme, on the other hand, goes perfectly, and he gets dangerously close to breaking Yuri’s world record. Yuri’s happy for his friend, but at the same time, he wishes he hadn’t fucked up quite so royally when he was on the ice.

By the time it’s time for the Free Skate, Yuri is even more determined that he will still make the podium in some way. He steps out onto the ice and lets muscle memory overtake his overthinking, skating flawlessly from one jump to the next, imagining that Otabek is on the ice next to him and skating with him. He gets a standing ovation from the crowd and a score that will guarantee him a spot on the podium, even if it’s with a bronze medal hanging around his neck.

Later, when the Kazakh national anthem is playing and Otabek is standing on top of the podium, Yuri feels himself smiling. He might not have got the gold, and the silver might have gone to some insufferable Canadian, but he got a medal at the Olympics, so it’s definitely something.

There’s always Beijing in 2022 anyway.

* * *

Yuri feels instantly more relaxed when he’s skating with Otabek. Ever since they started skating together at the end of the 2015-16 season, they’ve got a lot more used to skating with another person next to them on the ice. They’ve trained with coaches that specialise in pair skating, the hours they put in eventually resulting in Otabek being able to do a variety of lifts with Yuri, from the simple to the more complex and dangerous. Their routine even includes a twist lift that had Victor crying at the rink side saying “I can’t watch” the first time they attempted it on ice.

Their routine is now perfected, and Paris beckons.

* * *

“The final entrants in the men’s pairs free skate are Otabek Altin and Yuri Plisetsky, who took gold and bronze respectfully at this year’s winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. They’re skating to Pomp and Circumstance, Op. 39, March No. 1 in D by Sir Edward Elgar.”

The music starts and they begin to skate. They’ve practised the routine for so long Yuri barely has to think about what he’s doing next. He lets himself enjoy the few minutes he has skating with Otabek in front of the crowd, listens to the music as he enters and exits the lifts seamlessly. Neither of them put a foot wrong, and Yuri’s sure Victor’s sat in the crowd somewhere sobbing.

The piece ends, the routine is over, and Yuri, running on adrenaline and high on the fact that was probably the best skate of his career, finds himself tugging Otabek towards him as soon as they’re off the ice and away from prying eyes and kissing him. At first, there’s a soft “oh” of surprise that escapes from Otabek’s lips, but then Otabek is kissing him back, and everything is perfect.

They win gold, but it’s nothing compared to how Yuri feels knowing that Otabek Altin, Olympic gold medallist and figure skating world champion, is now his boyfriend.

It’s definitely not a joke anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: [pllsetskyonice](http://pllsetskyonice.tumblr.com)
> 
> Fun facts:  
> \- the Gay Games are [an actual thing](https://www.paris2018.com/)  
> \- the only reason they skate to Pomp and Circumstance is because it happened to come on shuffle as I was writing this.


End file.
